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Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.

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Lava flow advancing, ocean in foreground
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Flow

Photo from 7AM helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.

Photo from 7AM helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.

Lava flow advancing
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Lava Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Lava Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Advancing Lava Flow

Overflight photo at 7AM HST from offshore looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing/spreading.

Animated GIF showing change in crater over several days
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Slumping Animation
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Slumping Animation
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Slumping Animation

This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency's Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of Kīlauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST.

This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency's Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of Kīlauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST.

Plume rising from a crater
Kīlauea Volcano — Summit Plume
Kīlauea Volcano — Summit Plume
Kīlauea Volcano — Summit Plume

Summit plume at 8:40AM HST on June 3. A slight mist in the air softens the look of the plume, which is predominantly white steam with very minor amounts of ash.

Summit plume at 8:40AM HST on June 3. A slight mist in the air softens the look of the plume, which is predominantly white steam with very minor amounts of ash.

Child "candling" a chicken egg
Child "Candling" a Chicken Egg
Child "Candling" a Chicken Egg
Child "Candling" a Chicken Egg

A child peers at an unfertilized chicken egg at the USGS outreach booth, 2018 Suisun Marsh Field Day. USGS waterfowl ecologists use this method to check the development of a fetal duckling in the field.

*Note: photo taken with permission of parent.

A child peers at an unfertilized chicken egg at the USGS outreach booth, 2018 Suisun Marsh Field Day. USGS waterfowl ecologists use this method to check the development of a fetal duckling in the field.

*Note: photo taken with permission of parent.

Unique ID bands for waterfowl
ID Bands for Suisun Waterfowl
ID Bands for Suisun Waterfowl
ID Bands for Suisun Waterfowl

USGS scientists attach small metal bands, each with its own ID, to the ankles of adult waterfowl to identify where the animal was caught. When it is re-captured later in its migration, researchers can use that information to determine how far the animal traveled. 

USGS scientists attach small metal bands, each with its own ID, to the ankles of adult waterfowl to identify where the animal was caught. When it is re-captured later in its migration, researchers can use that information to determine how far the animal traveled. 

Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone lava flows and fissures, June 2, 1:30 ...
Kīlauea LERZ lava flows and fissures, June 2, 1:30 p.m.
Kīlauea LERZ lava flows and fissures, June 2, 1:30 p.m.
Kīlauea LERZ lava flows and fissures, June 2, 1:30 p.m.

Map as of 1:30 p.m. HST, June 2, 2018. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015.

Map as of 1:30 p.m. HST, June 2, 2018. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015.

lava flow on road way
Kīlauea Volcano — `A`ā Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — `A`ā Flow
Kīlauea Volcano — `A`ā Flow

East side of the fissure 8 flow on the "lighthouse road" (east of the Four Corners intersection). The ‘a‘ā flow was about 5 m (16 ft) thick when this photo was taken around 2:00 p.m. HST. 

East side of the fissure 8 flow on the "lighthouse road" (east of the Four Corners intersection). The ‘a‘ā flow was about 5 m (16 ft) thick when this photo was taken around 2:00 p.m. HST. 

A scientist looking at lava flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Documenting Flows
Kīlauea Volcano — Documenting Flows
Kīlauea Volcano — Documenting Flows

An HVO geologist documents the fissure 8 flow southeast of Four Corners (the intersection of Highways 132 and 137).

Plume from lava flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Flowing into Green Lake
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Flowing into Green Lake
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Flowing into Green Lake

As fissure 8 lava flowed into Green Lake, the lake water boiled away, sending a white plumehigh into the sky—visible from afar between around 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. HST.

As fissure 8 lava flowed into Green Lake, the lake water boiled away, sending a white plumehigh into the sky—visible from afar between around 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. HST.

Lava flowing
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Near Four Corners
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Near Four Corners
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Near Four Corners

Northern edge of the fissure 8 flow front on the night of June 1, as it approached the intersection of Highways 132 and 137, known as "Four Corners."

Northern edge of the fissure 8 flow front on the night of June 1, as it approached the intersection of Highways 132 and 137, known as "Four Corners."

Lava fountaining at night time.
Kīlauea Volcano — Night Fountains (Fissure 8)
Kīlauea Volcano — Night Fountains (Fissure 8)
Aerial of lava flow
Kīlauea Volcano — Overflight of Fissure 8 Advancement
Kīlauea Volcano — Overflight of Fissure 8 Advancement
Kīlauea Volcano — Overflight of Fissure 8 Advancement

USGS scientists on HVO's overflight this morning (June 2) captured this image of the fissure 8 flow front as it advanced west along Highway 132. Around the time of this photo, 7:15 a.m.

A boat operated by USGS staff tows an instrument that collects geophysical data in in the shallow shoreface near the beach.
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore

USGS vessels and staff acquiring geophysical data in the nearshore. Collecting shoreface data in the water as close to the beach as possible is difficult with breaking waves. The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center adapted existing equipment for data collection in shallow water.

A boat operated by USGS staff tows an instrument that collects geophysical data in in the shallow shoreface near the beach
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore
USGS vessels and staff collecting geophysical data in the nearshore

USGS vessels and staff acquiring geophysical data in the nearshore. Collecting shoreface data in the water as close to the beach as possible is difficult with breaking waves. The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center adapted existing equipment for data collection in shallow water.

USGS vessels and staff acquiring geophysical data in the nearshore. Collecting shoreface data in the water as close to the beach as possible is difficult with breaking waves. The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center adapted existing equipment for data collection in shallow water.

Vehicles cross over a amphibian passage on a forest road via an elevated road segment
Vehicles Using An Elevated Road Segment Over Wildlife Passage
Vehicles Using An Elevated Road Segment Over Wildlife Passage
Vehicles Using An Elevated Road Segment Over Wildlife Passage

Vehicles drive on an elevated road segment that allows amphibians and reptiles to pass safely beneath and cross the road.

A false-color aerial photo illuminates the stark contrast between irrigated center pivot cropland and dryland agriculture in eas
A false-color aerial photo
A false-color aerial photo
A false-color aerial photo

A false-color aerial photo illuminates the stark contrast between irrigated center pivot cropland and dryland agriculture in eastern Washington

A false-color aerial photo illuminates the stark contrast between irrigated center pivot cropland and dryland agriculture in eastern Washington

Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an expanse of the deep Pacific seafloor rich in manganese nodules. Amy Gartman (USGS) and Phoebe Lam (University of California, Santa Cruz) will study chemical interactions between the mud and metals in seawater.

Container of mud from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an expanse of the deep Pacific seafloor rich in manganese nodules. Amy Gartman (USGS) and Phoebe Lam (University of California, Santa Cruz) will study chemical interactions between the mud and metals in seawater.

4 people in boat on water body on a sunny warm day
Field Photo Friday January 2019
Field Photo Friday January 2019
Field Photo Friday January 2019

A team of biologists, Barry Baldigo, Luis Rodriguez, Mike DeMoulpied, and Abbey Holsopple (from left to right), prepare to conduct a survey for invasive round goby on the New York State Canal system near Rome, NY in 2018. Photo by Scott George

A team of biologists, Barry Baldigo, Luis Rodriguez, Mike DeMoulpied, and Abbey Holsopple (from left to right), prepare to conduct a survey for invasive round goby on the New York State Canal system near Rome, NY in 2018. Photo by Scott George

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